Listing machine



Jan. 5, 1943. L. P..CROSMAN LII-STING MACHINE Filed Nov. 29, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 \& FI

:" Y mvsmoi Jan. 5, 19 43. P. CROSMAN LISTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 29, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Jan. 5, 1943 LISTING MACHINE Loring Pickering Crosman, South Orange, N. J.,

assignor to Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Orange, N.-J., a corporation of Delaware Application November 29, 1941, Serial N 0. 421,015

2 Claims.

The invention has relation to listing machines, and particularly to printing mechanism therefor.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the keyboard and printing mechanism of a listing adding machine constructed in ;accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a right side elevation f the machine, with casing removed, showing the operating and printing mechanisms.

The invention is shown as applied to a motor operated machine corresponding to a disclosure of United States Patent N0. 1,932,013, issued to Loring P. Crosman on October 24, l933,'and-entitled Register, as modified in an application for patent of the present inventor, Serial Number 421,016 filed of even date herewith.

Motor operation of the machine is initiated by imparting a rocking movement to clutch control lever I06 (Fig. 2), said lever being provided with an insulation roller I09 operable to close the contacts of a switch III] interposed in the circuit of an electric motor I (Fig. 1) Rockmg movement of lever I06 will also move the bottom end of said lever out of contact with a spring actuated pawl I03, mounted upon a plate I and forming the driven member of a clutch. Upon release, pawl I03 will be moved into contact with the driving member I04 of the clutch, having died upon shaft 608 and are normally coupled to' frame 6I6 by means of a series of spring pawls 6|] mounted on a rod of the frame and'engaging studs of lever BID. The forward arm of each differential actuator lever ,BIIl is provided with segmental rack teeth, adapted to mesh with the pinions 412 of a series of accumulator wheels 413. Index' bars 6I5 are pivotallyconnected with the upper arms of levers BIO, these index bars being moved, upon counter-clockwise rotation of the levers, into'engagement with the stems of selectively depressed keys 2I5. Type bars 6 are pivotally connected to the rearward arms of-1evers6l0, each type bar being provided with a longitudinally disposed series of type representing the digits 0 and 1 to 9.

In additive accumulation, amountshaving been set upon the digit keys 2I5, and motor operation initiated, the pinions 412 will, first .be disengaged from the actuator racks,.'and thereafter the racks Will be moved counter-clockwise so that in a column in which the 7 key (for instance) has been depressed the actuator Will be allowed a degree of movement sumcient to bring the numeral type i opposite the printing line of the platen 85.

during this movement and returning them to the normal position illustrated in Fig. 1.

In total taking operations, the motor operation of the machine is suspended before the actuator racks 6H3 have been moved, and the accumulator wheels 413 are rotated to zero, the pinions 4'12 being in mesh with the actuator racks. This is eifected by releasing all of the column latches 2H and by rotation of a shaft 631 (Fig. 1) having a 5 series of pins adapted to adjust a series of stops ,6l3 individually into the paths of movement of zero stops 451 of the accumulator wheels. The pins of shaft 601 also operate to move the pawls 6H, releasing the differential actuators 6H1 individually, for operation by their springs 683. The pins of shaft 601 operate successively, from right to left of the machine. The released lever 6I0 will rotate the accumulator wheels 413 in a subtractive direction (clockwise as viewed in Fig. l) to zero, this action serving to displace the type bars 6H to a position in which the amount subtracted from the accumulator will be set on the printing line. Thereafter, motor operation being resumed, frame 6 i 6 will be rotated counter-clockwise; printing will be effected; the accumulator pinions 412 disengaged from the racks, and frame 616 rotated clockwise, picking up the actuators bill successively, according to the positions in which they have been stopped by the accumulator wheels, and returning the parts to normal pos1- tion. It may be noted that during these totaling operations, none of the keys 2I5 are in depressed position.

The hammers The digit type is solidly set in the type bars til I, and these type bars are normally held n forward position substantially spaced from the platen 339i, by means of springs Hi5 (Fig. 1). Engaging the forward face of each type; bar 6H is a hammer I46, mounted upon a shaft I41 fixed in the machine frame. The hammers are operated by means of a spring M8, and are normally held tensioned by means of a bail I 39, suspended from shaft I41 and connectedby a link I witharockarml'tl. I

Arm II is fast upon a shaft 392 upon which is also fast an arm 32'! (Fig. 2) having link connection with the motor driven arm 3I6. Thus, upon motor operation, and during the counterclockwise rotation of frame 6I6, shaft 362 will be rocked clockwise, and bail I49 moved forwardly, permitting the hammers I46 to rotate gradually in a clockwise direction until the type bars 6 are forced to a position wherein the type at the printing line will be closely adjacent to the surface of platen 89L Bail I49 will be held in this position during the printing operation, and will subsequently be returned to restore the hammers to normal position. This will be the entire operation of any of the hammers I46 located in columns to the left of those wherein keys 2I5 have been depressed.

Action of the hammers I46 in the active columns will be controlled as follows:

A series of latches I52 (one for each hammer I46) is provided, the latches being pivotally mounted upon a shaft I53, fixed in the machine framing, and being operated by the spring I48, which connects the latches I52 and the hammers I46, as seen in Fig. 1. Each latch I52 lies ben'eath a lug I54 of the related type bar 6| I, so that in the normal position of the type bars the latches are held out of engagement with lugs I55 of the hammers. Upon rotation of an actuator BIO, however, and consequent displacement of a type bar 6II, the lug I54 of said bar will move away from latch I52, which will thereupon rise and engage lug I55 of the hammer. This engagement is timed to occur before any substantial movement of the hammers is allowed by bail I49.

A bail I56, supported from shaft I53, is provided with a depending hook I51 (Fig. 2), adapted to be engaged near the extreme forward movement of the actuator drive by a lug I56 of arm I5I, depressing bail I56, against the tension of a spring I59, thereby releasing latches I52 from engagement with the hammers I46. Thereupon hammers I46 will be violently operated by their springs I48, imparting sufficient momentum to the type bars 6' to insure the engagement of the type with the record material supported on platen 89L In order to effect printing of zeros by the type bars to the right of those displaced by the actuators 6H1, the hammers are provided with overlapping lugs I69 (Fig. 1), which will serve to hold any hammer to the right of one secured by its latch. In other words, a latch I52, upon movement of bail I56, will release its related hammer I46 and all hammers lying to the right thereof, for printing operations.

It will be observed that in the normal position of the parts the type bars 6 lie well in front of platen 89I, so that the printing line will be visible to the operator of the machine. This effect has been secured in machines wherein the type is slidably mounted in the type bar, but the result is herein secured in an extremely simple mechanism. The simplicity of the mechanism is also apparent in that the only parts individual to the columns of the printing mechanism are the type bars, the hammers, the hammer latches and a single operating spring.

Alignment of the type Precise alignment of the type (forming more particularly the subject matter of a divisional application Serial Number 466,935, filed November 25, 1942) is secured by means of a toothed alignor I6I (Fig. 1) pivotally mounted at its lower end upon a floating shaft I62, said shaft having rearward connection with the framing of the machine by means of a link I63 and upward connection by means of toggle linkage I64, I65. Shaft I62 is normally held in raised position, with the toggle I64, I65, bowed, by means of a spring 166 (Fig. 2) the upward movement being limited by engagement of a shoulder of toggle link I65 with a leaf spring 161, secured upon the framing of the machine.

The teeth of alignor I6I are designed to engage with the toothed or pointed ends of the rearward arm of actuator levers 6), a series of ten tooth shoulders of the alignor I6I being related to each lever 610. The lower shoulder of alignor I 6| is designed to engage the related actuator when it stands in zero position; the second tooth when it stands in 1 registering position, etc., the highest shoulder of the alignor corresponding to the 9 registering position of the actuator. The shoulders of the alignor will be engaged with and thereafter disengaged from the actuators successively, in the actuator positions running from 0 to 9 and from 9 to 0. In adding operations the engagement will occur immediately after the contact of a related index bar 6I5'with its depressed key, and in all operations the alignor will be disengaged from the actuator immediately before said actuator is picked up by the pawl -6I'I for restoration to normal. This latter action is particularly important in total takingoperations, because after the printing has been effected the accumulator is disengaged from the actuator racks and the actuators and type bars would be free to move to their extreme, or!) registering position under the influence of the springs 683, unless means were provided for checking this action. According to the present invention, this is one of the functions of the alignor I6I.

Pivotal movement of the alignor II'BI about shaft I62, to effect the engagement 'and disengagement of the actuators, is transmitted by means of a roller I68 (Fig. 2) engaging the cam slot of a'plate I 69, pivotallysupported from shaft I41 and having link connection H0 with the upper end of the alignor. "Parts 151,169, I10, 1'64, I65, I63, I66 are provided in duplicate, at the two sides of the alignor. During the first portion of the cycle of motor operation, roller I68 will move along the forward wall of the cam slot of plate I69, providing first for a dwell, during "the preliminary adjustment of the accumulators, eta, thereafter for forward movement of plate I49, effecting forward pivotal movement of the alignor about shaft I62, to bring the shoulder 'of the alignor successively into engaging position, roller I68 finally acting upon a dwell surface of the forward and of the rear walls of the slot of plate I69, during which time'th'e printing occurs; then acting upon a cam surface which will effect rearward movement of plate I69 and rearward pivotal movement of the alignor about shaft I62 to disengage the actuators successively, the jfina'l movement of roller I68 being along a dwell of a slot of plate I 69.

In order to effect true alignment of the type without straining any 'Of the parts by 601162166 Of the index bars 6| 5 with the key stems or the contact of stops 6I3 with the 'zero stops 4 51, in'tota-lizing, downward movement will be imparted to the alignor after all the teeth thereof have been r u ht. n o en a in om t-i n, th ng -e fected by contact ofthe upper portion of the alignor with the toggle link I'64, the final movement of plate I69 thus serving to straighten the toggle and to depress shaft I62.

Shaft I62 will remain in depressed position during the rearward pivotal movement of the alignor until at the end of such movement the hammers for said type bars; means normally holding the hammers under spring tension and operable by the operating means to permit gradual movement of the hammers to move the type bars pivotally to position adjacent the platen,

spring latches normally held under spring tension by the type bars and each releasable by a displaced type bar to engage the related hammer to prevent said gradual movement, and means operable by the operating means after operation of the holding means to release the latches and thereby efiect printing operation of the hammers.

2. In a listing machine having differential actuators, operating means therefor, type bars pivotally connected with and longitudinally displaceable by said actuators; two fixed shafts, hammers for the type bars mounted upon one of said shafts, latches mounted upon the other shaft,

engaged by said type bars, and engageable each with the related hammer upon displacement of its type bar, operating springs connecting the hammers with the related latches, a bail normally holding the hammers under spring tension and operable by the operating means to permit gradual non-printing movement of the unlatched hammers, and a bail operable by the operating means to release the latches from engagement with the hammers and thereby efiect printing. LORING PICKERING CROSMAN. 

